Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Rally Demanding Albany Expand Speed Enforcement Cameras Near Schools in State Budget

March 22, 2018

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, everyone, from Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets – I see AARP. All of the organizations that are here, I want to thank you. I want to thank you, because what you’re doing through your actions is going to save lives – it’s as simple as that. This is what this is all about – saving lives. So, I need you to make your voices loud and clear. I want you to say something with me – very simple – we are saving lives. 

Say it with me –

Audience: We are saving lives!

Mayor: We are saving lives. Thank you. I want to tell you, you are making a big difference. 

[Applause]

You are making a big difference, and we need you. Brothers and sisters, the only way we will get justice for so many families who have suffered, and the only way we’re going to save more lives is by you going to Albany and changing what’s happening there. Your voices are the only thing that will change the status quo in Albany right now, because we’ve seen what’s happened too many times. We’ve seen too many times that even though the facts are on our side, the truth is on our side, the truth’s been ignored. But your voices can’t be ignored, but you have to go up there in big numbers and you have to go up there with strength and energy. 

Are you ready to do that?

[Cheers]

Are you ready to do that?

[Cheers]

I want you all to remember, in 2018, we lost Joshua, we lost Abigail, we lost Kevin – these are three children who should be alive today. They’re not coming back. Every family member here knows what that feels like, and no family should ever feel that again. But that chance will not happen by itself, the people have to make the change. We’re seeing it all over the City, all over the State, all over this nation. The teachers in West Virginia, the students in Parkland, Florida – people are taking matters into their own hands. That has to happen here in New York, doesn’t it?

[Cheers]

Because we need safe streets, don’t we?

[Cheers]

And we’re not going to wait for them anymore? 

[Cheers]

So, when you go to Albany, tell every legislator you see, tell the Governor, tell his staff – tell them the story of Abigail, the story of Joshua, the story of Kevin. Tell them what these families have been through. Tell them it’s all of our responsibility to make sure it never happens again. And we have the tools. Let me tell you something about speed cameras – where there’s a speed camera, the facts are proven. We know this – where there’s a speed camera by a school, speeding goes down by 60 percent – 60 percent. 

[Applause]

Think of any school in your neighborhood – it means that the hundreds and hundreds of cars that go by that school every single day will not be speeding by and risking the lives of children, because those speed cameras work. So, we know they work, so what are we afraid of? There should be no fear of speed cameras. There’s only one group of people who should be afraid of speed cameras, drivers who are speeding – and they should pay for that.

So, I say to everyone in Albany, especially to the State Senate, don’t fear speed cameras, they’re here to help us, they’re here to protect lives. Think about all of your constituents who are yearning for safety. We have to do everything we know how to do to keep them safe, and this is one of the best ways to do it, because we don’t want to be at another funeral. 

I want to finish by saying to all of you, your presence in Albany will make the difference. We’ve seen it before. There were other times when people said this kind of change was impossible, but they didn’t count on all of you. When you went in strength, when you went in numbers, it broke through – and the families especially, and I want to honor all of the family members. You could have walked away and had nothing to do with this fight, but so many of you chose to stand up. When you talk to a legislator, they have to listen, they cannot look away. We need as many of you as possible in the lead in Albany to break through once and for all so we can protect as many lives as possible in this city. 

One simple message in Spanish –

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

No more excuses. There are lives at risk and we’re going to save those lives. Thank you to every one of you. Thank you for standing up and fighting. Let’s go win in Albany. 

[Applause]

Thank you.